Leather mellowing cabinet



p 19311 I. H. ELLSWORTH 1,8212% LEATHER MELLOWING CABINET Filed May 21. 1930 a ikoms 5 Patented Sept. 1, 1931 warren STATES IRVING H. ELLSWORTH, ORRVILLE, OHIO LEATHER IIIE'LLOWING GAIBINET' Application filed May 21,

This invention relates to a cabinet especially adapted to be used in mellowing leather, preparatory to stretching it. In the process of mellowing leather, the tallow,-

stearin, parafiine or other stufling material contained therein is softened or partially melted by heating to the proper temperature, so that it may be easily stretched into a physical form most desirable for use in making traces and the like.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a mellowing cabinet having a plurality of compartments which may be maintained at various temperatures so that the leather may be selectively placed to receive the proper degree of heat, which is determined by the character of the stuifing material contained therein. It is also an object of the invention to arrange the compartments so that heated air will circulate freely through the compartments which are closed, but will be excluded from any compartment from which the leather has been removed for the purpose of stretching it.

The characteristic features of the invention and the manner in which it may be used will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, which is an isometric view of the cabinet with some of the compartments open and with portions broken away to illustrate the interior construction.

In accordance with the invention, the cabi net comprises outer walls 1 and is provided centrally with a bank of compartments 2, each having a door 3. These compartments are arranged so as to leave a heating chamber 4 which extends continuously about the top, side and bottom of the cabinet between the outer walls thereof and the compartments 2.

Heat may be furnished by any suitable heating unit, as for example, a gas water heater 5 from which a hot water pipe 6 leads into a manifold 7 within one end of the chamber 4. From the manifold 7 a plurality of pipes 8 extend substantially throughout the length of the chamber, to a manifold 9 within the lower end thereof 1930. Serial No. 454,312.

from which a return pipe 10 leads back to* the heater.

Each compartment 2 has draft openings 11 in its upper and lower walls. A container 12 for receiving the leather, fits withineach compartment and may be withdrawn or partially withdrawn when the door 3 is open. Each container 12 is provided with openings '13 in its upper and lower walls whichare adapted to register with the openings 11 when the container is within the 'compart ment with the door closed. Thus a free circulation of heated air is permitted through each container when it is enclosed within the compartment, but when the door is opened and the container is partially withdrawn to permit the leather to be removed for stretching, the openings 13 are out of register with the openings 11 so that no heated air can escape and withoutaffecting the circulation of heated air through the other containers.

In order to take all of the free stretch out of the leather so that it may be used in making the strongest and most durable traces, it is necessary to heat the leather suf- 'ficiently to soften or partially melt the stuffing which it contains. Various stuffing materials are used by different tanners which require different temperatures to reduce them to the proper condition for stretching. In the present cabinet, although there is a" free interchange of air between the various compartments, the upper compartments will always be maintained at a higher tem-. perature than those below them. If desired, thermometers 14 may be so arranged as to measure the temperatures in different compartments. It follows then that in using the cabinet for the purpose stated the leather requiring the highest temperature for mel lowing is placed in the upper compartments and that requiring a lower temperature is placed in some of the lower compartments. After the mellowing operation is well started, a comparatively uniform temperature will be maintained in any given compart ment, until the leather from each compartment is removed and stretched by means of suitable stretchin apparatus provided for the purpose. As t e leather is removed from each compartment for this purpose, the container 12 is partially Withdrawn therefrom so as to prevent the escape of the heated air from the compartment which is open.

While I have explained in detail the construction of the invention in its present em bodiment, it is obvious :that the same may be considerably modified without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

VVhat- I claim is:

1. A leather mellowing cabinet comprising outer Walls, series of compartments arranged in tiers within the cabinet so as to leave a chamber extendingacross. the top,

side and bottom of the cabinet between the "compartments and said outer walls", and 7 means for supplying heat to the upper part 0f':sa1dchamber, the compartments of each tier having openings in their top and bot- 'tom walls which normally provide for a continuous interchange of convectional currents through all of the compartments 1n the tier.

2; A leather mellowing cabinet comprising outer walls, series of compartments arranged 1n tiers Within the cabinet so as to leave a chamber extending across the top, side and bottom of the cabinet between vthe compartments and said outer walls, and a heating system with pipes" for conducting heatingfiui'd into and through the upper part of said chamber and with return pipes "at the bottom parts of said chamber the compartments of each tier having openings t in their top and bottom walls which normally providefor interchangeof heat between all of the compartments in the tier. In testimony whereof I have: hereunto signed my name to this specification.

IRVING ELLswoRT 

